Holiday Navigation Tips- Part 2

As Thanksgiving week has passed, I am hearing reports from clients and friends that they ate too much. Despite good intentions, I often hear “I tried to be good but indulged in too many treats”. Last week we discussed avoiding sugar as an important strategy. “The simplest tip is to avoid SUGAR at all costs as it suppresses our immune systems, creates inflammation and keeps us craving more with its’ addictive nature.” It’s a simple idea but not easy. Here are a few more ideas to keep you in line with that and taking care of yourself. 1. Plan ahead-make sure you eat before you go to a party or celebration. That might mean eating a small meal like soup, lettuce roll ups with turkey, hummus with veggies or plain yogurt with nuts and seeds. It’s fine to eat small at an event. 2. Bring something– choose a food that you can eat freely like shrimp cocktail, veggies with bean dip, a salad, a cold appetizer plate including meats, olives, roasted veggies, etc. 3. EAT a treat – find one thing that is delicious and make the choice to have a small portion. It’s often unrealistic to totally avoid all treats. If you give yourself permission to have a treat-you will likely feel less deprived and make better choices during the event.

Simply Easy Tip:

Create new food traditions and treats that are healthier and low in sugar. There are delicious recipes that use less processed grains and sugars. See recipe below as an idea!

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Bring a small pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Put the jar of coconut butter / coconut cream concentrate in the water and let it sit for 20 minutes to soften. Stir and repeat if needed to soften. (Note: the water is not an ingredient. It is used only to melt the coconut butter in the jar.)

Meanwhile melt the chocolate over a double boiler, then remove from the heat.

Add the melted coconut butter / coconut cream concentrate to the bowl of melted chocolate. Also add the salt and stevia. Stir to combine.

Break the Arrowroot Biscuits (I used all 12) into large pieces into the chocolate coconut mixture. Stir gently to combine.

Line an 8 x 8 inch dish with parchment paper and pinch the corners to help it stay in place. Transfer the chocolate and biscuits to the lined dish, pack it down, and refrigerate to set. When the fudge is partially set top with toasted coconut, if using

Lift the fudge by the paper to remove it from the dish. Let it sit for a few hours to come to room temperature, then use a large chef’s knife to slowly slice it. Heating the knife also helps to get straight slices.